


Thunderpaws

by lovelessending



Series: Thuderpaws [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe-Modern with Fantasy Aspects, M/M, Power Wolves, Wolves, editor!Yixing, therapist!Junmyeon, wolf!Chanyeol, wolf!Jongdae, wolf!Kyungsoo, wolf!Sehun, wolf!jongin, writer!Baekhyun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-05-29 06:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15066875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelessending/pseuds/lovelessending
Summary: Leader of Wolves. Chaser of Lightening Storms. Kim Jongdae goes searching for the reason why something pulls at him, calls to him even. He never expected it to be a human called Byun Baekhyun in fact.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually my first time posting on here. Once upon a time ago I used to write, but that was back on livejournal and that was years ago for different fandoms. But I blame Jongdae's Watch Out solo song for this... I was listening to it at work and then all of a sudden, this was born!
> 
> But welcome, thank you for joining me on this journey. Hope you all enjoy!

The rhythm of of the rain falling into his fur doesn't break his concentration as he roams. He actually feels at peace with the water droplets falling onto him. There's a deep rumble of thunder before a flash of lightning splinters across the sky. It takes everything in him to not pause and let out a howl. There's no time to try to chase the bolts of lighting in the sky, to egg them on to play.

There's a deep sense of urgency as he trots towards his destination. He doesn't know where he's going, but he feels something pull him in a certain direction. It tells him to follow without question and quick. A sort of guide for him to go find out what it is.

He bites back a low growl of impatience as the wet concrete beneath his paws begins to cause his paws to ache. He's always hated the digging feeling of concrete, wet or dry. It just feels unnatural to him, preferring the fell of dirt and grass beneath his claws instead.

But in order to find out what's been pulling at to find it, he puts up with the roughness for now.

His ears suddenly perk up as he hears something that catches his attention. It's dark and storming out, as well late. So why was there the sound of someone, or something, out about? Turning his next corner slowly, the feeling of being pulled starts to ease. What's calling for him is just up ahead, he just knows it.

With his curiously finally being able to be fulfilled Jondae comes upon a being standing under an awning, looking up at the storming sky, but still keeping dry from the rain. Confused, Jongdae sits, ignoring the constant fall of droplets soaking into his fur coat. He just watches.

Why would a human be the come find me urge that's now faded away?

 

The rain pours down around him, as he stares up at the dark sky, Baekhyun wonders why he didn't have the sense to grab an umbrella earlier when he left. The urge to just get out had been overwhelming. It had almost made it impossible to breath.

There wasn't any one out at this time of night, especially while a storm was pushing it's way through. This made it easier for him. To not have to deal with draining effort to interact with people was a blessing.

Shaking the sudden dark feeling  that was beginning to creep inside him, Baekhyun refocused on the falling rain. It was soothing, peaceful even. It was actually helping to calm the raging storm of anxiousness that threatened to escape from inside him.

Just as he was beginning to feel more at ease, he gets the sudden urge that he's being watched. It starts out like a prickle, then slowly starts to feel more claw like. Looking over his shoulder, he tries to spot what's watching him.

When he spots the dog sitting out in the rain watching him, reliefs rushes through him. It's just a dog. It's no one else interrupting his peace.

"Ah, what are you doing out here boy?" He asks as he turns to face the dog. He crouches down, making himself more eye level and accessible to the animal before him. Dogs were easy, dogs he could handle right now. People, not so much.

"Are you lost?" He asks, as he beckons the animal closer. For a second, he swears the dog cocks it's head to the side. But before he can question it, the animal slinks forward, only a moment of hesitation before it's close enough for Baekhyun to just barely reach out to touch it.

"Whose a lovely boy?" Baekhyun murmurs as he lets the dog sniff his hand. A quick glance tells him that the dog is male. A slow smile creeps across his lips as the dog gives his hand a small lick. Instantly the dog closes the gap between them, letting his hands bury within the wet fur. He can still feel the warmth of another living body.

"Lets get you out of this rain, I don't live too far from you. Don't want you to get sick, then we can find your owners when the storm lets up. There's no way a beautiful boy like you is a stray. If we book it in time, I'm sure you won't get too much wetter." Standing up, Baekhyun beckons for the dog to follow him, which the dog does without guidance.

The two quickly make a run for it just as a sudden true laugh of happiness bubbles out from Baekhyun's lips. It almost catches him by surprise, but doesn't let the moment spoil.

 

This human has Jongdae curious. Normally, humans turned in fear at the sight of wolves. But this one didn't turn away at all. In fact, he invited him home to protect him from the rain. He doesn't need protection from the rain, but the way this human behaves towards him gives him the feeling to trust, to let him be protected. It was a different feeling. He was always doing the protecting.

Giving his tail a wag, Jongdae lets out a small whine at the curtain. Trying to get the human's attention from behind it. Byun Baekhyun. That's his name, it's not human. It's Baekhyun. He saw it on the mail as they came in.

"Boy, give me a moment. I'm almost done, I just need to finish showering. That rain was colder than I expected." Baekhyun calls out. Shower to warm up? Jongdae tilts his head to the side. Silly human, didn't he know that fur was best for warming up?

Pushing his way past the curtain, Jongdae busts his way to be of more help than the this thing called shower. What he's not expecting is the sudden rush of water that hits him in the face. Baekhyun laughs at his intrusion as he begins to whine. More water was not what he was expecting.

"You want to shower with me?" Baekhyun laughs as he pulls Jongdae into the shower. It's not long before Jongdae is clean to human standards. This new level of cleanliness leaves him wanting to go find a mud puddle to roll around in. But something tells him if he did that then Baekhyun would be upset.

At this moment, he doesn't want to discover what Baekhyun being upset is like.

"I should call you something other than boy..." Baekhyun murmurs a little while later as they're curled up together cuddling. Jongdae has his head in Baekhyun's lap, curled against his side. He sighs as fingers bury deeper into his fur. The gentle motion is soothing and all too relaxing.

Boy works. He is a male wolf. And it's not like he can just tell the human what his name is in this form.

"Think I'll call you Fluffy..." Baekhyun sighs as he starts to drift off to sleep. Jongdae raises his head up, all weariness gone. Fluffy? He wants to call him Fluffy? When the others catch wind of this he just knows he'll never hear the end of it. Especially from Chanyeol, he would be the worst.

Before long Jongdae settles back in, relaxing next to the warmth that is Baekhyun. Tomorrow he'll have to find a way to get back to the pack... They'll be lost with him... He is... their....leader....after....

 

It's been a few days since Baekhyun had found Fluffy outside in the rain. He had hung up posters of a found dog with his phone number. (The picture itself was a hassle as Fluffy could not hold still for anything.) But not one had reached out to them. There was a small part of him that was sad for Fluffy. That no one was coming forward to claim such a beautiful dog as this.

But there's another part of him that's secretly grateful. The company, even though it's from a furry animal, is refreshing. Fluffy doesn't expect much from him and is thankful for everything that he does. 

He's about to call it enough and take down the posters, to just call Fluffy his own. But that's when the call comes through.

"You find our le-dog! Is there anyway I can swing by to get him?" The male voice sounds too excited, but honest enough. Baekhyun questions the guy about Fluffy to make sure that this isn't just some random stranger trying to nab a free dog. But all of his questions are easily answered and they settle on a time for Fluffy to be picked up.

The owner really has been found. He doesn't want to admit it, but a deep sadness begins to fill up inside of him.

"I'm sorry Fluffy, but our time together has come to an end. Your owner is on his way." For a second, Baekhyun thinks that even Fluffy looks startled then upset at the news.

"I'm so glad you found him! We really thought something had happened to him! But look, here is! Safe and sound!" The guy is.... tall. Baekhyun instantly notices as he answers the door. He's got jet black hair that's windswept, even though he wonders how that can be. It's not windy today. When the guy smiles at Fluffy, it lights up his whole face, eyes crinkling. 

Baekhyun's heart only breaks a little bit he thinks.

"Well, you be a good boy Fluffy." Baekhyun says as he drops to his knees to give Fluffy some attention before he leaves. "Be good for your owner.....?"

"Chanyeol." The guy simply answers while staring at him in curiosity. "Fluffy?" He asks, a laugh escaping his lips.

"I didn't know what his name was. He wasn't wearing a dog tag. So I just called him Fluffy.... It seemed to fit." Baekhyun answers nervously. Something begins to bubble up inside of him. Did he do something wrong? Fear starts to clench his heart.

"Ah no! Fluffy really does fit. The guys are just going to get a kick out of it." Chanyeol answers with a small smirk. "His name's Jongdae though."

"Jongdae...." Baekhyun tests out. Jongdae whimpers at the sound of his name. It almost sounds like a whimper of longing.

  


"Dude..." Chanyeol starts as soon as their in an ally, away from Baekhyun's place. "You've been in wolf form this whole time?"

"Shut up Chanyeol..." Jongdae mutters, he's transformed back into his human skin. After being in his wolf skin for so long, his human side feels almost heavy.

"We were starting to worry. You know it's dangerous for you to stay in your wolf skin for too long when there's no full moon or storm to give you that extra jolt." Chanyeol sounds almost worried, but Jongdae shrugs it off as he pulls on some clothes. He knows the consequences, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave Baekhyun's side. Something about the human just made Jongdae want to stay by his side.

"I know... I'm sorry for making all of you worry. How was things?" Jongdae asks slowly. He knows as their leader he should feel bad for not being there. But leaving Baekhyun's side was hard for him. And he didn't understand why. He turns to leave the ally as fast as he can. He needs to get away before he runs back to Baekhyun's.

"It was fine. Kyungsoo kept everyone in line as acting in leader. He hates the position, but you know he'll do it if he needs to." Chanyeol answers smoothly as falls into a similar pace. "What happened though? You went out for a run and never came back? Why were you with a human?"

"That human..." Jongdae starts, then pauses for a moment. "Baekhyun, took me in when he didn't have to. He was comforting. As for that run, something pulled me to go somewhere. And it led me to him."

"Oh my god...." Chanyeol whines. "You've got puppy love don't you?"

Jongdae smacks him upside the head for his insolence. But doesn't say anything about the comment. He doesn't have puppy love for a human. That couldn't be right. That only happened to puppies when they latched onto their elders. This was something else....

This was more like... Well he didn't know. But he'd figure it out. Or not.

 

Sitting back in his chair, Baekhyun twirls the pen he has in his hand idly as he gives a long pointed stare at the blinking cursor in front of him. A long sigh escapes him as he leans over the back of his chair to stare up at the ceiling. The silence that he usually finds so comforting is all of a sudden suffocating. He wonders for a second why it feels like this now of all times, but then thinks back to Jongdae.

He misses the dog. His life felt more complete those few days with him in it.

The sudden sound of his phone ringing caused him to jump, the silence around him now broken. Glancing at the screen it tells him Yixing is calling him. 'Oh great...' he think as he tosses his pen onto his desk before grabbing his phone.

"Yes Yixing?" Baekhyun greets as he goes back to staring up at his ceiling. He's starting to make out the beginning of different patterns, but isn't quite sure what they are yet.

"That's not much of a greeting Baekhyun..." Yixing teases over the line. "How are things coming along?" Baekhyun groans at the question. Telling Yixing all that he needs to know. "That good is it?"

"I've been staring at a blinking cursor all morning and I'm unsure how to continue on. It started out really well, but now..." Baekhyun explains. Yixing chuckles in his ear.

"Well, you're ahead of schedule so it wouldn't hurt to take a little more time and to clear your head. That way you can find how to get back on track." His editor's words aren't all that surprising. But this time, Baekhyun starts to consider maybe taking his advice. Yixing is always telling him that he works too hard, always surpassing his deadline needs.

"Maybe you're right...." he mutters into the phone. Yixing's sudden silence pulls him to sit up straight in his chair, curious as to why his editor is suddenly quiet. "What?"

"It's just normally you tell me that there's no time to take a little extra time off. But now you're agreeing with me. I'm finding it all very startling and also worrisome." Yixing explains simply. "Is everything going on alright? It's not your family is it?"

Thinking of his family, Baekhyun grimaces at the thought. "No, it's not them. I'd be worse if it was. You know that." Baekhyun murmurs, frowning at his computer screen. He lifts his pen up from the random place on his desk that he had thrown it and places it back where it belongs. To the left of his laptop, within reach if he just in case needs to have it in hand.

"That's good, I don't know how I'd explain it this time if it was.... I think I'm running out of on the spot excuses for them." The answer tells Baekhyun that Yixing is still the only one who knows how his family is. The only reason why Yixing knows is because he stumbled upon on of their visits.

"Thank you..." Baekhyun says, it's the only thing he can think of.

"You're welcome Baekhyun. Now, take some time. Get your mind back where it needs to be. I'll check in on you in a few days." Yixing says before they say their goodbyes and disconnects the call. Baekhyun stares at his phone in silence for a moment, thankful that his editor isn't a complete dick.

Glancing back up at his laptop, he saves one last time even though there's been no changes and closes out the program. With a quiet thud, his laptop is shut and he begins to discover what he needs to get back on track.

Deep down, something tells him it's a four legged light brown animal with the bluest eyes he's ever seen on a dog.

  


There was chatter around him, but he has no idea to what's actually being said. His mind is far from pack talk. He knows that he should listen. He is their leader after all. But his mind keeps wandering off to think about Baekhyun. Something about the human is intriguing. Tantalizing even, but not in a he wants to eat him sort of way.

No it was more of a something about this particular human was just calling to his wolf sense. He doesn't want to see fear in Baekhyun's dark eyes. More excitement actually. Something tells him that maybe a little bit of tag or pounce on the human would help Baekhyun actually get and make his lean body more toned. His arms, though skinny, could probably be more than possible sticks.

"Sir!" Kyungsoo sternly says, breaking him away from his thoughts of Baekhyun's arms. Quirking an eyebrow in question, Kyungsoo sighs. "We're done here, if you would like to call this meeting to an end.

Jongdae waves his hand in a dismissive way, ignoring the knowing grin from Chanyeol and the confused looks from Jongin and Sehun. Something tells him Chanyeol will be filling them in later. Kyungsoo just shakes his head as he gathers his things up slowly. 'Sticking behind to probably fill me in...' Jongdae thinks as he watches and simply waits.

"You've been distracted sir." Kyungsoo states. There's no question to it. Just a statement. Jongdae wonders for a moment if it's a bad thing that his second in command is just stating things. It's almost normal, but not quite like this.

"I've just had some things on my mind Kyungsoo." Jongdae says as he turns his gaze away from the other wolf. He feels the others eyes drill holes into the side of his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Kyungsoo's expression flicker to something, he doesn't really get a good look at it, before settling back into unreadable.

"Try and clear it up soon sir. We need you clear headed for the upcoming pack raids. Don't shift anymore until then. What little is left needs to be saved for emergencies until the pack raid. You'll be safe then because it'll be a full moon." Kyungsoo's words cause Jongdae to freeze in his spot for a second. He doesn't dare move until the other is out of the room. Once the door is shut behind him, Jongdae lets out a small whimper and his head falls onto the table in front of him.

He forgot all about the pack raids. As their leader, he's supposed to lead them through to victory to prove that he was worthy. Worthy enough to be called their king. What kind of leader was he if he was getting distracted by a human so simply?

"Can't shift..." He mutters under his breath as he raises his head enough to place his chin on the table. Narrowing his eyes, he tries to think of a way to get around it. Nothing comes to mind.

Pushing up from his spot at the head of the table, Jongdae gives into having to listen to Kyungsoo's words. If it wasn't anyone else besides his second in command, he wouldn't listen to the advise. With it coming from Kyungsoo though, he tells him that it's best to take his words seriously. He wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't serious.

Kyungsoo noticing to the point that he feels like has to say something means that it's serious.

What kind of king was he if he wasn't able to shift change for the time being? Being stuck in his human skin... it makes him feel itchy, almost to the point of static covers his skin. He desires to be on four legs and furred up running through the woods with a prey in mind. Something ( _someone?_ ) running from him, trying to get away. Panting as they strain to get away, but it being useless.

An image of Baekhyun, panting, running away from him, flashes to his mind. His hand pauses on the door handle. Something in side of him yearns to go chasing after Baekhyun. He's just not sure if it's one of his more animalistic needs or not.

Gripping the door handle tightly, he holds back the sudden urge to go try and figure this sudden desire out. He needs to stay away from Baekhyun, not go running after him. His pack needs him.

Or that's what he tells himself as he pushes the door open and forces himself to stop thinking about Baekhyun completely _(for the most part?_ )

 


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae tries to focus, he really does. But his attention is pulled elsewhere. Kyungsoo, he just worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just a work of fiction for fun.
> 
> Author Note: Sorry for the long wait... >.<;; I may have ran into a bit of a road block after just discovering this idea. I've got a better hold of it for the moment. I'm thinking maximum it'll be six chapters, but that may be wrong. Give or take, most likely give, a chapter or two.

Rubbing at his left wrist, Jongdae tries to ease the buzzing feeling underneath his skin. He frowns as the feeling doesn't seem to go away. It starts to buzz more as he lets his right hand fall to his side. He can feel the hairs standing up on his arms as if he's covered in static.

He tries to smother feeling down in any way he possibly can, but it seems to grow stronger.

This was the only bad part of being what he was. The constant need for checks and balance. Being in wolf form too long always comes with a price. His price being electricity from a lightning storm was the only way to recharge him if it wasn't the time of the full moon.

Being in human form also has its downside.

If he was in his human form for too long, the feeling of edginess creeps up his spine. The urge to change to fur and four legs calls to him constantly. It's to the point that static charges on his skin. And if he's not careful he begins to shock everyone and everything.

He tries to focus at the task on hand. Not on the fact that the next full moon is still a week away and that there's no storms in the forecast at all.

Jongdae needs to find Chanyeol. They need to go over plans for the pack raids. He needs to plan out what to do just in case someone else tries to step up and takes his place. There's rumors that there's a new contender out there. One that's said that speaks to ice.

It doesn't put him too much on edge, but just in case he wants a plan in place. Because if this other wolf does have an affinity for ice, well what better way to cause intimidation then to have fire at his side.

Fire's good, fire's going to be really helpful. Fire... was curled up in a corner balancing a lit candle on his knees.

 "Chanyeol...." Jongdae says the other's name, causing the other wolf to glance up at him. Chanyeol's eyes widen for a second at the sight of his boss.

 "Boss!" Chanyeol exclaims quietly as he carefully tries to keep the candle from going out. The flame dances a little bit as Chanyeol slowly gets to his feet. He keeps the candle cradled in both hands as if it's precious.

 Jongdae stares at the candle then glances up at Chanyeol's nervous expression. "You've been in wolf form too much." He simply states as he goes back to staring at the candle. A thought begins to form in his head as he stares at the item.

 "Between running extra security runs for Kyungsoo and searching for you while you were gone, it snuck up on me. I was trying to do it quietly without anyone catching me, but I guess you did." Chanyeol explains slowly as his gaze drops to the flame in his hands.

 "I didn't know you used a candle..." Jongdae frowns. He wonders if simple things like that would be enough.

 "I normally don't. Wildfires are usually the best way, but I can get by with a candle. It just takes longer." Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders as if it's no big deal.

 To Jongdae though, this is news. News that's a very big deal. If Chanyeol can get by using a simple candle, then maybe there was another way for him too.

 "Take your time, get yourself better." Jongdae says as he turns on his heel to leave the room. He has an idea and he wants to go try it out right at this moment.

 "This little light of mine..." Chanyeol's soft voice starts singing as he settles back into his corner. "I'm gonna let it-JONGIN!!!"

 Jongdae glances back over his shoulder in time to catch Jongin standing over Chanyeol. A little wisp of smoke floats into the grinning face of Jongin. A look of horror is etched all over Chanyeol's face as he stares at his extinguished candle.

 Slipping out of the room completely, Jongdae runs away from the commotion so that he can focus on his new experiment. He just needs to find a fork.

 

Curled up in front of the plugin, Jongdae considers if he should follow through with this idea of his or not. He rests his chin on his curled up knees, left arm curled around his legs as he twirls the fork he has in his other hand between his fingers. What's the worst that could happen? It can't do that much damage. He chases after lightening for crying out loud.

Shooting on last nervous glance around, he makes sure that no one else is around to witness his little experiment.  He doesn't need anyone seeing as he attempts to do this. Once he's sure the coast is sage and clear, Jongdae lets a grin spread across his lips.

The moment he places the object in to the plugin, he feels the familiar tingle of the current entering his body. The tingle feels right, but something else isn't quite right. He frowns as the current just flows through him. It doesn't quite do what he wants.

Is it because the current isn't quite strong enough? But why is Chanyeol able to use a different method, but not him? Electricity flows everywhere, but it doesn't seem to work for him as alternative method.

Jongdae is so lost in his thoughts that he misses the all too familiar popping sound that gives Jongin sudden appearance away. The younger males watches curiously at what his leader is doing. An eyebrow quirks in question.

"Uhhh.... Sir?" Jongin asks trying to get Jongdae's attention. It doesn't do anything. Sighing, he slowly approaches the other, moving directly into his peripheral vision to just simply wait. It doesn't take long for Jongdae to realise he has company.

The the older of the two looks up, he jumps away from the plugin in shock. His eyes are wide as he stares up at Jongin.

"Do I even want to want to ask what you were trying to attempt sir?" Jongin asks slowly, tilting his head to the side. He almost wants to chuckle as he watches his boss gape at him, his mouth opening and closing as if lost for words. How in the world Jongdae was their pack leader, Jongin wasn't sure, but it was moments likes these that made him wonder.

"How are you our pack leader if you're just going to stick things into plugins?" Jongin sighs as the questions slips out. The look of shock on Jongdae's face quickly turns into one of complete hurt. Before the younger one has a chance to get out an apology for his thoughtless words, the other wolf is up and out of the room.

Swearing under his breath, Jongin stares at the forgotten fork laying on the ground. Why did that question of all things had to be the one that slipped out. He better go find Kyungsoo and let him know that Jongdae has disappeared again.

The stoic wolf was not going be happy with him for this one.

  
Kyungsoo looks up from his book at the sound of the door opening. He's about to glare at whoever it is to make them go away before they have the chance to wake up Chanyeol. He stops the moment he sees Jongin's distressed expression. Instead, he watches as the younger one glances at him, then down at Chanyeol's sleeping form next to him on the couch they're occupying, before glancing back at Kyungsoo nervously. The way Jongin chews on his bottom lip says that the younger one is unsure of who to talk to.

The actual second in command, or the unofficial one.

Making the decision for him, Kyungsoo sets his book down on the nearby table and slowly moves away. Chanyeol groans at the sudden loss of Kyungsoo's thigh right next to the top of his head. He turns his head, slowly opens one eye to look up at him in question.

"Go back to sleep, Chanyeol." Kyungsoo mutters as he picks up Chanyeol's forgotten candle He places it in his hand knowing that as soon as he's gone it'll be sought out. Long fingers instantly wrap around it as a small thankful sleepy smile is shot in his direction. "I'll be right back. Then I'll let it again for you."

"Thanks Soo..." Chanyeol mumbles befores his eyes fall shutt. Sleep embraces him once mores. Kyungsoo lets a small smile quirk the corner of his mouth at the taller one's sleeping form.

"Jongin." He simply states as soon as the door is shut behind him. He motions to keep their voices down to keep from waking their second in command. There's a brief look of relief that crosses their teleporter's face.

"Jongdae's gone." Jongin softly mutters. Kyungsoo swears the other begins grinning at him because he can't get yelled at this moment. "He's really out of it isn't he?" The teleporter dares to suddenly ask.

"Yes he is because he's had to pick up some extra duties since our leader is down until the next storm." Kyungsoo answers. He gives the other man in front of him a sharp look as he adds, "Plus some like to think it's funny to blow out his candle when he's trying to recharge himself."

At least Jongin has the decency to look apologetic to that.

"What happened? Why did Jongdae run off this time?" He was beginning to worry that this quest was going to be frequently asked. Jongin instantly look sheepishly guilty. What did the young wolf do this time?

"It's my fault hyung..." Jongin begins as he starts to fidget. It's a habit that tells the older one that as soon as he can he's teleporting himself away from the consequences of his actions. Silently, he wraps his cool fingers around the younger wolf's wrist to keep him there before disappearing.

"What happened?" That question again. Jongin instantly spills about finding Jongdae in the middle of some sort of weird experiment and how he made such a thoughtless comment. Nothing against Jongdae, just the thought had slipped out. Sighing, Kyungsoo releases Jongin's wrist without a word and waves him off.

The teleporter doesn't need to be told twice to get out there. The cracking pop tells Kyungsoo that he's left alone now.

 _‘Jongdae ran off in embarrassment.’_ Kyungsoo thinks as he slips quietly back into the room. His eyes fall on Chanyeol curled up into a tight ball on the couch. He's all legs and arms sticking out in different places. He'll let the taller one sleep longer, to recuperate some of his lost energy before trying to jumpstart his recharge.

Something tells him Jongdae won't be hard to find. Chanyeol will know where to find this human that has had the lightning wolf distracted lately. Once he feels like Chanyeol is well enough to his standard's (not Chanyeol's), Kyungsoo will send him to go get their missing leader.

He'll have to put a stop this face if it starts to become a problem. Jongdae needs to be available for the upcoming pack raid. He hasn't quite mentioned it to him, but Jongdae has been called out specifically.

A fact that worries Kyungsoo, for his leader.... and also his dear friend.

  
He runs. It's the only thing that he feels like he can do at this moment. He wants to run away from the embarrassment, to never face it. But it lingers. It's a part of him. So it doesn't leave him. Everything inside him says to shift, to run with his paws rather than his feet. But he just _can't_ .

Jongin's words echo in his head. He's not a good pack leader. Even he's not sure how it even happened in the first place. But he knows deep down that he really does love taking care of his pack. He makes sure that they're well taken care and don't want for anything.

As he slows down, Jongdae watches as the humans bustle around him They're all too busy to stop and enjoy what's around them. But even in the middle of the hustle and bustle of movement he feels something tug at him. It almost feels like the same kind of tug that he felt that brought him to Baekhyun, but at the same time it feels different.  
Slowly, he follows it. Letting it silently guide him to where it wants him to be. The embarrassment from before is now long forgotten, instead a strong sense of curiosity takes its place. It claws at him, makes him antsy as the feeling grows stronger. He believes it means he's getting closer.

When he's sure the feeling is about to explode because it's buzzing so strongly inside of him, it suddenly disappears. Confused, Jongdae drags his gaze around, taking in everything around him. His dark eyes tries to find... something, _anything_ .

He's about to give up, about to just settle with the fact that he's lost whatever tugging at him. But that's when something by chance catches his eye. A flash of brown that's familiar. After a moment, Jongdae recognizes Baekhyun. He's just sitting there next to the window of a cafe.

Without thinking, Jongdae's feet draws him closer. His eyes stuck on the lithe form sitting with his face in his hand, eyes staring absentmindedly out the window. There's a small frown on Baekhyun's lips that he notices as he draws closer. The human male seems sad, lonely even. The brief thought of how he could make that from disappear flits by almost teasingly. He doesn't really know what he's going to do next as he pauses awkwardly out of the window, his eyes still on Baekhyun.

Slowly, too slowly for Jongdae's liking, warm brown eyes look up at him curiously. Jongdae suddenly ducks his head down in embarrassment, hiding his gaze as the human arches a single eyebrow in question. Shly, he glances up to start at the human through his black finge. There's a flick of emotion on Baekhyun's face that the wolf tries to place.

Another frown appears and it makes Jongdae want to hown in frustration. His gaze drops back down to the ground, he stares intently at his feet as he wonders why a simple frown on a human makes him feels so weird. It's almost like a yearn to make it go away for good.

So lost in his thoughts, he doesn't realize that the human he's so drawn to gets up and leaves until it's too late.

"Damn..." Jongdae mutters to himself once he realizes the object of his fascination is missing. He turns to leave with a heavy sigh on his lips, but collides with something solid. The weight of him sends it to topple over. With fast reflexes, Jongdae's hands grab onto what's falling, keeping it upright. There's surprise in his eyes instantly as his gaze meets Baekhyun's and then there's a sudden buzzing sensation shooting through his hands.

"I'm sorry... I didn't see you there." The words fall out instantly as he helps Baekhyun onto two feet, his hands never leaving their place on his shoulders. The sensation he's getting from the contact is strange, puzzling even.

"That's a funny thing to say..." Baekhyun mutters to him as a pointed look settles on his face. "You were just staring at me so openly." As soon as the words are out, nervousness instantly hits him.

Jongdae's fingers tighten their grip for a second. The shooting tingly that's spreading throughout his body is distracting, but he manages to focus long enough to say, "I didn't meant to make you uncomfortable.... I just thought you look sad and lonely."

There's a gasp in response to his words. His eyes glace quickly between his hands and Baekhyun's dark shocked orbs, wondering there this wonderful tingly feeling is coming from. Did it have to do with touching the human? But that couldn't be right, it's not the first time the human has touched him. Though Baekhyun is blissfully unaware of that fact.

The tingly really is amazing. It fills him up, spreads throughout his limbs. Gives him the energy he was missing. He actually feels like he's back to his normal self again. Which is odd.

"What makes you say that?" Baekhyun suddenly asks him, drawing his attention back so that they lock gazes. There's something in his gaze that makes the wolf want to prod at it, to discover the meaning behind it.

Trying to think of an answer that doesn't involve the truth about his nature or the fact they know each other, Jongdae thinks up the first thing that comes to mind. "You were the only thing that wasn't in a hurry. So you stood out because rather than hurrying by as fast as you possibly could like everyone else, you were just there taking it all in. Your eyes just looked sad though as if you wanted to have a reason to be hurrying by so fast."

Baekhyun's mouth opens to a small o at his answer. He doesn't answer as his eyes drop nervously down, unsure of what to say or even do at this moment.

Jongdae suddenly feels like he's about to burst, as if he suddenly has way too much electricity bottled up inside of him. Chewing on his bottom lip, he drops his hands to his side breaking the connection between him and the wonderful tingly sensation.

Did...did he just recharge by simply touching Baekhyun? That couldn't be right. This didn't happen when he was in his wolf form. Suddenly, something dawns on him. He's in his human form, not his wolf form.

Recharging only happens in their human forms.

A bright boxy grin suddenly spreads across Jongdae's mouth as he stares at the human in front of him as if he won the lottery. He doesn't know the reason behind it, but he knows that he has found his candle. He doesn't even question it, just knows that it works.

Wait until Chanyeol hears about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took a lot longer than I expected to get written. At first I was little unsure of how this was going to go about because honestly I just had a small measly idea that kind of just grew. I hope everyone enjoys!


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baekhyun's peaceful world is shaken, about to crumble. It's take everything to hold the pieces together.

Baekhyun stretches his arms up above his head as he stares at his screen in front of him. What he's managed to write isn't horrible. It's actually quite decent. The idea is new and he's still unsure about how the flow of characters, but so far he likes it. He tilts his head to the side, wonder if he should go ahead and send what he has to Yixing or see what else he can add onto it.

Glancing at the time on his computer screen, he sighs at it tells him that it's 11:37am. He doesn't have time to try and write anymore this morning. He has a strict 1pm appointment that he has to be at. He doesn't dare get engrossed in writing and miss his appointment.

Glancing over at his phone that lays neglected nearby, Baekhyun sees that the notification light is blinking at him. As he grabs the device with his right hand, he quickly saves his progress with his left. He has a few emails from Yixing that have attachments, he's sure that they have to do with his current project. A final once over request most likely. A message from Yixing catches his eye.

_ Yixing: Just checking in. Let me know when you have a minute and we can get together to talk about your ideas for what's next. _

Baekhyun glances up from his phone to his computer, a small smile tugs at the corner of his lips as he thinks of his new idea. It's definitely different from his usual stuff. He wonders how Yixing will take the sudden turn of something new.

He quickly types a message back out to his editor to let him know he has an idea that he'd like to run by him and that he's free later this afternoon to meet up.

The small bit of happiness he's feeling is short lived as suddenly his phone begins to ring. He freezes, ice feels like it's running through his veins. On his phone, it says that his mother is calling him. He feels the cold grip of fear clench at his throat as he shakenly swipes his thumb to answer.

"H-Hello?" He stutters out, unsure what to expect from this conversation. His heart pounds in his ears, he feels his anxiety suddenly rising.

"Baekhyun!" His mother’s voice snaps at him over the line. "Boy, I have to make this quick but I was just talking to one of your father's coworker's wives, they have a daughter that we set up a date for you. You need to be there today at 1:30pm."

All of his worries come to life at his mother's words. Another setup. She's still trying to set him up.

"M-Mom, I have an a-appointment at 1 today." Baekhyun manages to get out with limited stuttering. He knows she doesn't like it when he stutters, but when it comes to his family he always finds himself doing it.

"Cancel it." She tells him as if it's no big deal. She just expects him to drop everything to do what she tells him. He feels her claws sink into him, pulling him down to do what she wants him to do.

Feeling defeated, his eyes glances up at his computer screen with no hope. Staring back at him is his new idea that he was feeling so good about earlier. But now he feels as if he and it are just not good enough.

A sudden bark from outside breaks his train of thought. The bark makes him think of Jongdae. When that dog was with him he didn't have moments like this. In fact, he even felt like he was able to stand up to anything. Including his family.

A new sense of bravery suddenly rushes through him at the thought of Jongdae. It's enough for him to stand up to his mother this once.

"Mother, I can't just cancel this appointment. He's not going to have any other openings for me. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be there." Baekhyun tells her.

"Baekhyun! Don't you dare disobey me! You will go on this date boy or so help me!" His mother screeches at him over the line. He can hear the anger, but at that moment his sudden self confidence doesn't waver. "Why can't you be like your brother? You're always so difficult. Everything that you're doing with your life is just wrong. You need to choose a woman and get married. Your brother has a second one on the way, but you refuse to even meet anyone. I swear Baekhyun you're just being difficult on purpose to spite me. With your behavior, I would never believe that you were actually my child if it wasn't for the fact I gave birth to you. Sometimes you make me wish I never gave birth to you."

At her words, Baekhyun's resolve crumbles instantly. His mother's cruelty has always been a constant in his life, but this was a new type of cruelty.

"Goodbye Mother." Baekhyun says and hangs up the line before she can say anything else to him.

He always knew his parents loved his older brother Baekbeom more than him. Baekbeom was their perfect golden child. He followed all of their rules to a T. Always had good grades, chose to be a lawyer, got married and had kids, would never backtalk to his parents. He was the perfect son.

Baekhyun on the other hand was always different. His grades were good, but never up to his parents standards. He chose to go into a writing profession rather than something more prestigious. (His parents wanted him to be a doctor like his father or a lawyer like his brother.) With people, Baekhyun always had no interest in the people his parents brought around. Nothing about the girls that they tried to set him up with stood out to him.

He just wasn't interested in them. He always felt like something was wrong with him. Compared to Byun Baekbeom, Baekhyun was just trash in his parents eyes.

His phone dings in his hand letting him know he has a new message. Not daring to take a look, Baekhyun shuts his computers and starts to head for his front door. He grabs his keys sitting on the little table by the front door, before his hastily slides his shoes on his feet. His heart pounds against his rib cage as he feels everything start to crumble around him.

He doesn't know what to do, but his first instinct is to go see Junmyeon. Maybe it's time to talk to his therapist about his parents.

 

Staring down at his hands, Baekhyun gives himself one last slow breath before he dares to look up at Junmyeon. The other man is just quietly watching him, his notepad propped against his knee, simply waiting for him. There's a small pause as their eyes meet. Junmyeon shuffles in his seat a little to give himself a better angle.

"Is there anything specific on your mind today Baekhyun?" The question is slow, as if testing the waters at first. Baekhyun nods hesitantly, the small answer is enough to light up Junmyeon's eyes. He motions for Baekhyun to go on when he's ready, gaze steadily watching as if not wanting to miss anything.

"My mother called me today." Baekhyun starts, he forces himself to stare at Junmyeon's hands, refusing to see the reaction in his eyes.

"Your mother? How is your relationship with her?" The question is once again slow. Baekhyun's answer even slower as he tries to think of the words to say.

"It's not the best relationship. But it's that way with my father as well. My brother just doesn't talk to me, but I don't know if it's because of our parents or by his choice." Baekhyun says, his words slow, thoughtful, and carefully chosen.

"Why did she call you?" Baekhyun's heart clenches at the question. He doesn't really want to talk about it, but at the same time he knows he needs to face it.

He sighs heavily, his eyes dropping back down to his hands. "To set me up. She wants me to be like my brother, find a nice girl, and settle down. But I couldn't go. I couldn't agree with her this time."

"Why not Baekhyun? What made you not agree this time when you have in the past?" Junmyeon's question makes his head shoot up at it, but his gaze quickly drops back down to his hands.

"I don't know why I did it... I told her that I had an appointment that I couldn't miss. But I could've rescheduled with you. But part of me is done with the mindless setups that I know my parents won't ever understand why I'm not interested. So I used my appointment as an excuse." There's a sense of relief, but also fear that runs through Baekhyun. He finally has reached that point of being done with his parents antics, even though he's not sure how to stand up to them.

"Do you know why you're not interested?" Junmyeon's question is innocent enough, but it makes Baekhyun bite down on his lip. He's not sure if he should answer the question or not. But he tries to anyways in hope that maybe his therapist will be able to help.

"It's... whenever I'm out with any of them, I don't have a lasting connection with them. There's nothing there that connects me to them, to try and give it a shot. I had a better connection with a lost dog than I've had with any of the girls my parents have tried to set me up with. It's like there's just nothing there that peaks my interest." Baekhyun answer tumbles out. He glances up at Junmyeun slowly to check his reaction. Surprisingly, the other man is just nodding his head as if understands what Baekhyun means.

"You mentioned a dog. What happened with that?" The change in topic makes Baekhyun want to sigh in relief. Junmyeon places his notepad on the table beside him. He leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

At that moment, Baekhyun thinks back to the little bit of time that he spent with Jongdae as his eyes roam around the room, not taking anything in. He misses the way a small tugs at the corner of his lips at the memories.

"It was different, but in a good way. It was nice to have someone there keeping the endless silence at back. He went home though, his owner came for him." Baekhyun answers truthfully. He glances at the man opposite him and freezes. Junmyeon is staring at him with wide eyes. Did he say something wrong? Nervously, he licks at his lips to wet them before asking, "What?"

"That's the first time since you've started coming to see me that you've lit up that way. I was just surprised at seeing it." Junmyeon answers as he leans back in his seat. "In my opinion, I think you having a dog would be beneficial."

"I'll think about it." Baekhyun glances at the time, noticing that their time together is almost up. This session surprisingly has gone by quickly it seems. They usually drag on forever for him. "It's that time."

"Well think about getting a dog. We'll pick this back up next week. Are you going to be ok?" The question is sincere. Baekhyun knows Junmyeon cares and that everything said in his office will stay there. It won't makes its way back to Yixing, even though the two live together.

He also knows that this question is more in regards to his mother contacting him, rather than his usual well being.

"I'll be fine Junmyeon. This happens, I can get through it like I've always had to." Baekhyun's answer doesn't soothe the concerned creases in between Junmyeon's eyebrows. "You should quit frowning over me before you get wrinkles. I don't think Yixing would appreciate you gaining any wrinkles over me anyways."

He's out the door before anything can be said back. Deep down he's thankful for Yixing recommending Junmyeon to him. But even though he's talked about his mother to his therapist, it doesn't make him feel completely better. He can still feel the dark cloud of gloom that his family causes hovering over him relentlessly.

Sighing, Baekhyun pulls out his phone to see if he has anything from his editor since he put the device on silent for his appointment. His steps suddenly stop when his eyes glances at the screen. An icy chill of dread shoots down his spine, making his heart suddenly begin to pound.

His phone says that he has eight missed calls, three voicemails, and four text messages waiting for him. All but one of the text messages are from his mother. He knows he's in trouble. Anxiety grips at him as he shoves his phone back into his pocket.

He needs to find somewhere to sit and pull himself together before he needs to deal with the hell storm that's waiting for him.

 

With no real destination in his mind, Baekhyun lets his feet just takes him away. His mind is still reeling in fear at what his mother will have in store for him. But right now he knows that he just needs to find a way to keep the anxiety at bay. It was never an easy thing to do whenever it involved his family.

He finds himself walking towards a cafe that he quite likes to visit. The thought of that strange guy that was watching him slips into his mind. He was a weird one, Baekhyun decides. Thankfully it was just a one time incident. He’s not sure how he would handle if it was a multiple occurence. Shaking his head, the memory leaves him as he steps into the familiar cafe surroundings.

With his normal overpriced cup of coffee that has probably way too much sugar and more calories than he should have in hand, Baekhyun settles down in a seat by the window in the corner. Taking a hesitant sip, he fiddles with his phone glancing back at the notifications.

The one message from Yixing reminds him that they need to meet up. His editor always seems to be worried about him, even when he doesn’t need to be. Quickly he types out a message to Yixing, telling him where he is and if he’s free they can meet now. Yixing’s answer is quick and tells him he’ll be there in twenty minutes and to not leave.

Burying himself into work could possibly help with what he needs to handle next.

Sighing, Baekhyun reads through the messages from his mother. His heart beats quickly as he takes in her words. It’s nothing new. It’s the normal string of messages telling him he’s a horrible son and that he needs to grow up, be more like Baekbeom.

There’s one message that hurts more than the rest. He knows that it shouldn’t but it still does because he feels that way towards himself at times.

_ Mother: Why can’t you just be a normal good son? Why do you have to put your parents through all of this? You know that no one is going to ever love you or want you with the way you are unless change. Grow up Baekhyun, you need to be a better son and person. _

He considers deleting the message. But he doesn’t. Instead, he locks his phone and sets it down. Leaving it the device alone. He can’t answer her. He’s sure she’s not expecting one, not with her sending that message. She usually doesn’t want anything to do with him after he pushes her to that point.

Why couldn’t he just be normal? The perfect second son that his parents wanted? Would his life be better if he was? It’s not like he wants anything to do with everything they have planned for him. They want him to find a nice girl, to have kids with her, to have a career that means something.

But that’s not him.

He hasn’t felt like any of the girls his parents have set him up with have been worth his effort. There was nothing there for him that he felt attracted to. Sure, they were pretty. But they were just bland as an individual. There was nothing that started a spark inside of him that said to him that this person was worth him even attempting to get to know besides a one time meeting.

Running his hand through his hair, Baekhyun sighs as he glances out the window beside him. His hand instantly freezes at the sight in front of him. He’s not sure if he should be worried or laugh.

The familiar fuzzy face of Jongdae is pressed up against the window staring at him expectantly. As soon as the dog realizes that he has Baekhyun’s attention he pushes his face off of the window, leaving a smear from his wet nose against the glass, as he sits.

“Jongdae…” Baekhyun mutters. As soon as the dog’s name is out of his mouth, he’s up out of his seat, stuffing his phone back into his pocket and grabbing his cooling coffee. He’s outside, greeting the dog. Instantly he feels a wave of relief wash over him.

Jongdae barks at him as soon as he drops to his knees, his coffee safely placed between him and the building. His arms wrap around the furry neck as he buries himself in the familiar comforting presence.

“What are you doing here Jongdae? Did you get loose again? Chanyeol is going to be worried about you.” Baekhyun says as he pulls away and scratches behind the dog’s ear. There’s a look of sadness in his blue eyes. “Oh don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you. But I just don’t want Chanyeol to worry about you, your his dog not mine. I’d make you mine if I could though.”

There’s a happy lick across his cheek that causes him to laugh. Giving Jongdae one last hug, he stands up. His eyes fall on the dog’s neck, there’s still no collar. “I’ll have to talk to Chanyeol about that. You shouldn’t be roaming around without a collar. What if animal control catches you? They wouldn’t know who you belonged to.”

He gives Jongdae one last pat on his head just as he hears his name called out to him. It’s Yixing walking up to him. “Be nice to Yixing.” Baekhyun finds himself telling the dog just as his editor walks up to them.

“I got your email! I really like what you have so far. They’re really curious as to what you come up for it next. It’s actually really nice to see that you’re doing something new. Not that I don’t like your other stuff, but this seems brighter. Happier even.” Yixing rambles off as he smiles brightly. Baekhyun nods his head, his fingers still intertwined in Jongdae’s fur. It grounds him, making everything seem alright in the world.

“Who is this? I didn’t know you had a dog Baekhyun!” Yixing smiles at the animal in front of him. He kneels down, keeping his distance as he introduces himself. “I’m Yixing, Baekhyun’s editor. You’re such a gorgeous dog. I can’t believe he’s kept you hidden from me.”

“This is Jongdae.” Baekhyun tells Yixing. “He’s not mine. He likes to escape from his owner. I return him back to his rightful place.” Yixing nods his head at his answer.

“You looked so happy with him, that’s why I thought he was yours.” Yixing explains as he looks up at the writer in front of him. “He seems like he’s attached to you as well. But let's sit down and chat before you get him back home. It shouldn’t take too long.”

 

That night, Baekhyun returns home with Jongdae in tow. He calls the number Chanyeol had previously called him from. He leaves a message, letting him know that he has his dog again and to let him know when he wants to come pick him up. Jongdae is giving him big sad eyes the whole time he’s on the phone.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t keep you. You have a owner Jongdae.” Baekhyun tells him as soon as he’s done. “Come on, let’s go settle in as I wait for Chanyeol to call me back. You’re safe here with me until he comes to get you.”

Just as they settle down onto the couch together, Jongdae comfortably curled against his thigh, his phone goes off telling him he has a new message. Running his fingers absentmindedly, he check his phone to see if it’s Chanyeol by chance.

As soon as he opens his messages, his fingers tighten in Jongdae’s fur. There’s a new message, but it’s not from Chanyeol. It’s from someone he was expecting at all. His heart pounds in his ears, the world around him is absorbed by deafening silence. It’s not until Jondae is pushing the device from his line of sight and getting up into his face that he starts to be able to ground himself, to calm everything down.

“Thank you Jongdae.” Baekhyun says as tears start to fill and spill from his eyes. His phone lays next to him, forgotten now, the screen still lit up. His arms wrap around the dog in front of him as the tears fall uncontrollably. There’s a small whine that comes from Jongdae, but he snuggles in closer to Baekhyun’s body, letting the man do what he needs to.

_ Baekbeom: For everything you put Mom and Dad through, I truly hate you Baekhyun. I wish you were never part of our family. You’re just a disgrace and ungrateful for everything they have done for you. But it’s never enough. Can’t you think of more than just yourself? Don’t ever reach out to me for anything. The next thing I want to hear about you is that you’re dead. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I'm not very good at keeping a schedule. Plus, this chapter was just really hard to write. It was a bit stubborn. But also, I was a little unsure about it because it came out harsher than I meant it to... 
> 
> This is actually really weird now that I think about it. But hopefully not too weird? I welcome all feedback. 
> 
> But anyways! Hope you all enjoy. Hopefully the next one will be out faster than this one. I can sure hope because I've got a few ideas.


	4. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae deals with a surprise. Sehun discovers an even bigger surprise.

A shiver of coldness runs through Jongdae’s body, causing his eyes to snap open. Quickly looking around, he realizes that he’s still at Baekhyun’s. They’re tucked away in the human’s bedroom, it’s still completely dark outside. Nothing seems to be wrong, but he wonders for a brief moment on why he’s up.

Baekhyun is still asleep, completely peaceful in comparison to how he was earlier. Jongdae turns to really look at the form next to him. He slowly taken in Baekhyun’s relaxed face, taking note of the way his lips are slightly parted and how his eyelashes fan out against his skin. Something inside of him makes the corner of Jongdae’s mouth twitch up just at the sight of this human in front of him.

He has this desire to be there for Baekhyun, to protect him from anything and everything that threatens to upset him. To have him be his human, but not in a owner and pet sort of way… He’s not quite sure in what sort of way at the moment, but just knows he wants to be by Baekhyun’s side. 

Sighing softly, Jongdae reaches over to place a reassuring I’m right here paw on Baekhyun, but freezes at the sight of a human hand.

‘ _ Oh no…’ _ He thinks as he jumps from the bed taking in his human form. He’s very human and very naked at the moment. Panic begins to set inside him as he begins to spin around in circles, trying to find something, anything really to cover up with. A whimper almost escapes from him as dizziness starts to take over, threatening to send him toppling over. 

Being in his human form right now is not a good thing. He can’t believe he let himself get so low this soon already. 

Glancing around the room, his eyes land on the bedroom door. Making a beeline for the door, Jongdae slips quietly out of the room. He has on destination in mind. And that’s to leave. To run away as fast as his this form is possible to just get out of there. 

His hand is on the doorknob, ready to leave, when a thought suddenly occurs to him. Baekhyun had him here in his wolf form. He’s going to wonder how an animal was able to unlock and open the door. 

This time he really does let the whine he’s been withholding out. Backing away from the door, he stares at it longingly. He wants to leave, he doesn’t to explain all of this to Baekhyun quite yet. He’s not even sure how to. How does a wolf explain to a human… all of this?

Shuffling back into the room, Jongdae stands there and watches as Baekhyun peacefully sleeps. He’s on his side, his right arm and leg sprawled out. The blanket is pushed back off to the side from him moving around in his sleep, it leaves his body exposed to the cold. 

Silently berating himself for letting himself get too low and unexpectedly changing forms, he moves forward to to tug the blanket back over to cover Baekhyun. He wants to at least make sure he doesn’t get cold. Even if it means that he’ll need to come up with a fast explanation as to why there’s suddenly a naked man in place of a dog in the apartment. 

Fingers briefly brush against skin, causing little tingles to suddenly shoot up his hand. His mouth falls open in surprise as he steps back, the motion breaking the contact. The moment it breaks, the electrical charges are gone.

_ ‘That’s right…’ _ He suddenly remembers when Baekhyun’s touch recharged him that one time. He thought it was a fluke, something he made up, but now he’s wondering if it wasn’t after all. 

It’s honestly strange and doesn’t make a lick of sense, but at this point he’ll take the chance at anything if it meant he could transform back. To keep his secret hidden just for a while longer, that way he can come up with a proper wolf way to explain all of this to Baekhyun.

Slowly, and with care so that he doesn’t wake him up, Jongdae slips back into the bed. He carefully drapes Baekhyun’s sprawled out arm across chest.

The moment skin touches skin, sparks shoot throughout him. It’s deliciously satisfying, but not quite in the same way the electrical charges of a storm were. This feeling was something he could more get used to. A feeling that he actually wanted to get used to. 

The tendrils off power that seeped inside of him from the feel of Baekhyun’s arm pressed against him is more soothing, calming even. There’s no rush of exhilaration and adrenaline like there is when it comes to chasing down storms. He loves that freeing feeling that comes when he goes out and plays with the storms.

But this, this was soothing, it puts him at ease. It feels like nothing could spoil this floaty feeling of calmness.

He’s not sure how long he lays there, but soon Jongdae feels normal more normal again. He slips out of the bed long enough to change back into his wolf form. Giving himself a good shake of relief, Jongdae is hopping back onto the bed, burrowing himself back under Baekhyun’s arm. As soon as he settles and is comfortable, he feels sleep tug it’s grip on him, pulling him back into its welcome embrace.

The last thing he feels before sleep takes him is Baekhyun snuggling up closer into his fur with a small sigh of content, his arm tightens around him for a moment before it relaxes once more against him.

When he wakes up the next morning, Baekhyun feels very well rested. He stretches his body out, carefully watching for Jongdae’s body next to him. The dog is watching him far too curiously as he lets out a long groan from stretching his muscles, making sure that the stiffness doesn’t linger. Once he’s done stretching, he gives the animal a good petting and a good morning before he’s up, starting his morning routine.

As he brushes his teeth, Baekhyun thinks back to his night of sleep. He’s surprised that he slept so well, that he feels as rested as does. There were no nightmares last night. Usually, he’s plagued by them after he deals with his family. 

But last night he was blessed without them.

His eyes meet his own in the mirror as he tilts his head in wonder. He did have one very vivid dream, but it wasn’t a nightmare. He’s not sure what kind of dream it was, but he knows it had to be one. Because there was no way a naked man was in his bedroom last night. 

The only way that was possible would be if Jongdae could transform. And there’s no way that was possible. His eyes glances in the mirror to find the dog staring at him never ending. It’s like Jongdae is simply watching him just to watch him. Almost as if there was something more to the animal, almost as if he really could just simply change into a human.

At that thought, Baekhyun pauses, his eyes squint at the dog trying to see it. 

“Jongdae,” He says, snapping the dog’s gaze to meet his own. “I had the strangest dream last night that there was a naked man standing in my bedroom. You can’t just change forms can you?”

Something about Baekhyun’s words makes the dog instantly look sheepish and guilty. He just shrugs it off as if he’s just seeing things. “That can’t be.. There’s no way that’s possible” Baekhyun mutters as he bends over to rinse out his mouth.

Behind him he misses the way Jongdae suddenly looks so relieved.

 

Kyungsoo steps into the meeting room, expecting to find Chanyeol and Jongdae conversing about the upcoming pack raid, making plans. As soon as he takes in the scene before him, he stops dead in his tracks. Face going blank, intimidating as he calculates the reasons why he finds Chanyeol in this position.

He finds Chanyeol, who’s splayed out across the table, face down with his cellphone clutched in his hand, his arm stretched out away from his body. The screen is lit up and unlocked, a message glaring back. Chanyeol's making these weird sounds, they sound like an odd mixture of agony and hysteria. Groans and cries coming from the tall wolf's collapsed body.

A quick glance is all Kyungsoo needs to instantly have a very good idea on what's causing these strange noises from their second in command. Jongdae is nowhere to be found.

"Chanyeol," The other's name causes calmly, but the smaller of the two notices that the other freezes at his name before hastily beginning to scramble. He raises an questioning eyebrow as Chanyeol frantically fumbles with his phone. It's an interesting reaction, which causes Kyungsoo to feel irritation start to prickle at him.

"Kyungsoo!" Chanyeol exclaims, trying, and failing, to stuff his phone into a nonexistent pocket.

"Chanyeol, where's Jongdae?" The question is on the verge of being filled with irritation. Chanyeol's whole body seems to deflate at the question. He's sure if the taller one was in his wolf form his ears would have flattened down guiltily. That's all the answer he needs. "He's not here is he? He's with that human right now."

Chanyeol simply nods, eyes down cast. "I received a text message from Baekhyun, telling me that Jongdae is with him. All this after Jongdae suddenly disappeared on me while spouting out nonsense.... I think he's finally losing it."

"What nonsense?" Kyungsoo sighs out as he tosses his impatiently important paperwork for their dear leader onto the table. He'll have to get Jongdae to focus on those the second they manage to get him back. These recent behavior changes in Jongdae have been excruciatingly aggravating. The pack raid was in less than a week and Jongdae hasn't seemed to care that he's been called out this time. 

"Something about how Baekhyun is his candle, his alternate way. That all he has to do is touch him, and then he reachrages. Suddenly in the middle of his rant he stopped in the middle. Muttered something about being pulled and that it was devastating. He had Jongin take him away, haven't seen him sense." Chanyeol explains as he twirling his phone absent mindedly around.

"Don't do that, you'll break it" Kyungsoo tells him as he begins trying to process and comprehend what's going on. "Let me get this straight.... Both Jongdae and Jongin are missing?"

Chanyeol nods.

"But Jongdae got Jongin to teleport him so that at least gives us the answer to where Jongin has disappeared to. He's off recharging, however the hell does it."

Chanyeol's eyes widen in sudden understanding before he nods once more.

"Jongdae, our leader, believes that some human can now suddenly charge him? A week before the pack raid, he's off disappearing while saying something devastating is pulling at him to leave?" There's a quick couple nods. "And now he's with this Baekhyun right at this moment?" Chanyeol's head continues to furiously nod in answer. "Is he stupid?!?"

There’s a frown on Chanyeol’s face at the suddenly loud question from usual quieter one. Maybe questioning if their leader was stupid or not wasn’t the greatest idea. But Kyungsoo no longer understands what’s going on with Jongdae anymore. 

“What’s going on in here?” Sehun’s voice suddenly cuts in. The other two wolves look up at him standing in the doorway, he has a look of curiosity on his face. 

“Nothing that concerns you.” Kyungsoo snaps. There’s more bite to his tone then there truly needs to be. Turning his gaze back onto Chanyeol, he feels all of his irritation begin to melt away. Chanyeol is standing there looking back at him with such a hopeful look that Kyungsoo won’t snap at him.

He can feel his gaze turn soft at the sight off him.

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says, his tone soft and fond this time. “ Will you go get Jongdae?”

“Of course Soo!” Chanyeol moves to leave the room, but hesitates as he nears the smaller male. His dark eyes stare at Kyungsoo with a mixture of expecting and hope. Kyungsoo finds himself staring back, with owl like eyes in wonder. The look causes Chanyeol to chuckle softly before he moves in closer.

“Oh.” Comes out softly, almost too for Sehun to hear, as he suddenly understands what Chanyeol is wanting. He shoots a quick warning glare over at Sehun before he steps closer, tilting his head upwards, inviting Chanyeol closer.

Large warm hands cup his face, his eyes threaten to flutter shut as he feels the taller one lean in closer to him. But their lips don’t meet, not yet anyways.

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol’s question is muttered low enough for just Kyungsoo to hear him. His lips just barely ghosting over his own.

Breathing out a soft yes, Kyungsoo reaches up to curl his fingers around the back of Chanyeol’s neck, tugging him closer so that their lips meet. He presses his lips harder before he parts his lips slightly. Swiping his tongue across Chanyeol’s bottom lip, he asks and receives permission to deepen their kiss. It earns him a low deep groan from the other. 

He pours all of his feelings into this kiss, knowing that their being understood.

When they pull back, Kyungsoo offers Chanyeol a small shy smile. In response, he just gets a shake of the taller one’s head in disbelief before a quick kiss is planted on his forehead.

“I’ll be back.” Chanyeol mutters against his forehead before he disappears out of the room.

“I… wasn’t expecting that.” Sehun says, his voice breaking the slight trance Kyungsoo finds himself in that was brought on by Chanyeol. Kyungsoo simply looks at him, his face in it’s usual stoic expression, but says nothing. “How long has that been going on?”

Confusions breaks the stoicness of Kyungsoo’s expression at the question. “How long? What do you mean?”

“How long have you two been with each other. I don’t think any of us knew.” Sehun explains as he watches the older one think back. The answer he’s waiting for isn’t the one he expects at all once Kyungsoo answers him.

“Jongdae has always known, but it’s always been the two of us. Ever since we met.”

“You’re joking…” Sehun says in disbelief. Kyungsoo doesn’t look like he’s joking, but normally he doesn’t look like he is.

“Why would I joke about my relationship with Chanyeol? He’s the single most important being in my life.” Kyungsoo shoots back, a small bite to his voice. It couldn’t be that hard to believe that he and Chanyeol have always been together.

“You know what,” A sigh of defeat escapes Sehun’s lips as he shakes his head. “It makes sense. All of it honestly. He’s always been the only one that you’re soft for. Now I know why… I just can’t believe Jongdae has known this whole time. Why him?”

“Because he needed to know at the time. When Chanyeol became his second, we both agreed that Jongdae should know. Chanyeol’s always looked for my guidance and thoughts on things. That’s why Jongdae knows. With you and Jongin, it just never really came up until now.”

“I swear… First Jongin, then Jongdae goes and gets distracted by some human, and now there’s the two of you.” Sehun mutters darkly as he turns and starts walking away from the room. “I’m swearing off all of this. It will not happen to me. I’ll stay the loyal solo one around here.

Kyungsoo’s brow furrows a little bit at the retreating back before him. What did he mean by that? What was that about Jongin? Was there something going on with the second youngest?

“What do you mean by ‘First Jongin’? What’s going on with Jongin?!” Kyungsoo calls out, rushing out of the room to catch up to Sehun to get answers. His papers that were so important not too long ago lay forgotten on the table. The top page provides the little bit of known information about the ice wolf, the one that called out Jongdae.

The wolf that goes by Xiumin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh... It's been forever. Smart me thought oh this chapter needed more. But I couldn't come up with anything... All that frustration... only to realize that it was complete. It was perfect the way it went. 
> 
> Oh well. 
> 
> Here is this chapter. I'm hoping the next one comes quicker.


	5. Part Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongdae just wants someone to believe him. Kyungsoo just may or may not, but doesn't want to take any chances. Baekhyun sits with his own thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back! And I'm getting back on track to get this finished. Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> I've done a read through and fixed the things I could see that needed to be edited or fix, but this is not beta'd at all.

Chanyeol rubs at his face, trying to figure out Jongdae's thinking. The other sits in front of him with a wide boxy grin, one that urges the second in command to just simply believe his pack leader. But it's hard to take what was just said to him seriously. It's never been heard of.

"Run this by me one more time..." Chanyeol finally sighs, Jongdae instantly starts bouncing in his seat, ready to go over it once more as if maybe this time he'll be believed.

"He's my candle, Chanyeol!" Jongdae simply states, boxy grin bigger than ever.

"But that doesn't make sense, Dae. A human can't simply be your candle. It's unheard of." Chanyeol throws back, he glares at the other for not taking any of this seriously. The boxy grin falters, changing into a slight pout.

"Why won't you believe me?" He whines causing Chanyeol to shake his head in annoyance.

"What won’t you believe?" Kyungsoo's voice asks, cutting in between the two. An instant smile breaks out across Chanyeol's face as Jongdae’s pouts becomes more prominent at the sight of him standing in the doorway. He looks between the two and regrets almost instantly for interrupting.

But there's something in the way Chanyeol’s eyes are slightly strained that makes him glad that he does.

"Jongdae here is trying to give some unbelievable excuse as to why he keeps running off rather than being the pack leader he supposed to be." Chanyeol says as he waves Kyungsoo over to sit with him. Once the the smaller one is seated, his arms snake around his waist trying to find comfort. Kyungsoo shoots him a silent concerned questioning look, wondering what's causing the taller one to seek out comfort. The way Chanyeol's head slightly tilts tell him they'll talk about it later.

"What's this excuse?" Kyungsoo asks, turning his gaze to their pack leader. His fingers find and intertwine themselves with the long slender ones resting on his hip. Three quick squeezes convey a silent message, telling Chanyeol what he wants to be said.

"It's not an excuse!" Jongdae whines back, it's cut short as soon as Kyungsoo pins him with a long hard stare. Deflating under the stare, he leans back in his seat as the words spill out of his mouth. "Baekhyun's my candle."

"Your candle? As in what Chanyeol does to recharge since he can't have raging fires all the time?" Kyungsoo lift one eyebrow in question, making sure that he's understanding Jongdae clearly.

"Yeah... I accidentally ran out and shifted back into my human form while at Baekhyun's. He was asleep when it happened, but when I touched him, he recharged me. It was weird, I was able to recharge and shift back before getting caught." Jongdae's story makes Kyungsoo and lean back in thought. He can see in his leader's eyes that he thinks that he's not believed once more.

"Well...." Kyungsoo starts to say but stops. There's a flicker of being looked at, but for the most part Jongdae is sitting there so deflated that he looks practically pitiful. "It's not the craziest thing. I mean it would make sense if there was something about Baekhyun that linked to your lightening calling. The candle only works for Chanyeol because it's a flame. Not a raging one that can recharge him quickly, but enough that over time he'll be fine."

"You're not saying that you believe him are you Soo?" Chanyeol reels back, pulling back slightly as he looks at his lover as if he's crazy. Jongdae perks up almost instantly at the thought of Kyungsoo actually believing him and being on his side.

"Whether we believe him or not isn't the question." Kyungsoo points out as he looks between the two. "The question is, what is it about Baekhyun, this human, that is able to recharge Jongdae? Because if you think about it, he really would have shifted back last night, but he was a wolf when you picked him up this morning."

"Oh... you're right. I didn't think of that..." Chanyeol mutters as he shoots an apologetic smile to Jongdae, who just shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. "Another thing that has me curious, Jongdae seems to feel Baekhyun when he's distressed. Why is that?"

"You feel Baekhyun?"

"Yeah, it's weird. It started out as a pulling feeling, trying to lead me somewhere that I just needed to be. But now, it still pulls at me, but there's a flood of emotion with it guiding me to where Baekhyun is." Jongdae explains slowly as he tries to find the words to explain the experience. His words make Kyungsoo frown.

"That's not good. You can't go chasing after the pull. Especially now with Jongin off recharging. You know how his trips are, we never know if he’ll make it back in time. I need you here to get ready. I don't know why Baekhyun pulls at you the way he does, but I promise that I'll help you look into more after the pack raid. But you can't go chasing after to answer the pull." Kyungsoo snaps as stares down Jongdae. He needs his leader to listen just this once, to behave.

"But Kyungsoo, if I could ignore it I would. But the pull gets stronger, I have to answer it. And the wave of emotions get worse." Jongdae pouts as he becomes torn between two sides. On one side, he's the pack leader, he needs to be the prime example of leadership and prove that he's their leader for a reason.

But on the other, there's Baekhyun. The human that seems to need him. The very same human that pulls at him, that he can feel when distressed, and the one who is able to recharge him when there's no storm in sight.

"If you try to run off with the pack raid just around the corner, I will be forced to use desperate measures. Don't make me go there Jongdae. I don't care if you're our leader, I will go down that road. I'm asking you, please as your friend, don't go running off when you've been called out this raid. We need you here, we need you fully charged. Once this raid is over with, we'll figure out why you're pulled so drastically towards Baekhyun." Kyungsoo pleads, hoping that his words will make an impact on Jongdae. There's a frown on the other's face as he thinks it over.

"I'll try Kyungsoo, but if I can't resist the pull. Do what you need to." Jongdae simply states as he gets up and leave the room. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol share a concerned look, wondering if they'll need to follow through or not as the situation enters uncharted territory.

Neither dare to hope that drastic measures won’t need to be taken.

  
  
Baekhyun looks up from his computer to stare out the window. He lets out a sigh, unable to concentrate on what he’s trying to write. The words just don’t seem to flow right. It’s like his inspiration flew outside away from him.

His phone has been quiet except for the normal day to day check ins from Yixing. His mother hasn’t reached out, thankfully. He been worried that she would try again, that she would continue try to bully him into this date.  But he just couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t lie to the nice girl that his parents were trying to set him up with. He couldn’t lie to his parents, pretending that he was ok with the date or that he was a son they want him to be. More importantly, he just couldn’t lie to himself anymore, to pretend that he was someone that he never was or would be.

He would never be Baekbeom. The perfect son that always listened to his parents, that always followed the carefully thought out plans made for him.

Baekhyun was…...  Baekhyun. Not perfect, but he was following his own path. Or trying to at least.

Glancing back at the screen in front of him, he watches the blinking cursor. He sighs once more, wondering if he should just try to push through or just leave it be for now. He was stuck with the flow of the story, he needed something to push him along. To help his inspiration perk up again.

It had been flowing before without a problem.

But that was before when Jongdae was with him. He didn’t have a problem letting the ideas flow when Jongdae was with him, or just after Jongdae left. But the spot beside him that was taken up by the furry body was empty.

A few times, he had started to type out a message requesting to see Jongdae.

But the message was instantly erased. Baekhyun couldn’t bug Chanyeol just so that he could see his dog. That would be too weird. He needs to just wait. Jongdae will come back. He had ability of showing up whenever Baekhyun needs him the most.

He would come back.

He would, won’t he?

  
  
The pull was back.

Jongdae could feel it tugging at him, urging him to answer. There was a sense of urgency behind it this time. A flood of panic as if he was being left behind.

But Jongdae knows that the feelings aren’t his. They’re coming from Baekhyun.

A growl rumbles deep his chest as he wonders why Baekhyun is panicking over being left behind. Who was leaving him behind? Jongdae was ready to go after them demanding an answer.

Clenching his fists open and close, Jongdae paces the room trying to keep his calm. He had promised Chanyeol and Kyungsoo that he wouldn’t run off. That he would stay. That he would help get ready and figure out what to do since he was called out for this pack raid. He needs to be ready for this…. Xiumin? Was that what the ice wolf’s name was?

Xiumin needs to be his main priority. Xiumin, the ice wolf, pack raid. He would keep his promise to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol.

His growling gets louder, escaping from his lips as his pacing get more insistent.

If he couldn’t be there for Baekhyun, his candle, what kind of leader was he? What kind of wolf was he? He needs to check on Baekhyun, his human, make sure that he’s ok. He could sneak out and be back before anyone misses him.

Jongdae’s mind is made up. He turns to the door to make his quick escape. He’s sure that he’s going to be out of there and back without any worries.

But he’s not going anywhere. His legs don’t seem to be moving. He tries to force them to take a step, but he continues to go nowhere. Glancing down, he sees that there’s encasing of clay clinging to his legs, it’s keeping him from moving.

A warning growl catches his attention. Looking up, he finds three wolves sitting in the doorway watching him. A dark brown one, a reddish brown one and a dark grey one.The reddish brown one is watching him in disbelief, shaking it’s head at him. The dark grey one is staring at him in boredom, wanting to be anywhere else but here.

The dark brown one though is the one Jongdae is glaring at. It has it’s right paw out, it's the one commanding the clay that’s trapping his legs.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae snarls, his eyes flashing in annoyance as he tries to fight against his leg prison. A snarl is sent right back him. Kyungsoo’s dark brown wolf moves closer to him, growling at him in annoyance.

 _'You made a promise to me Jongdae’_  Kyungsoo’s voice fills his head. ‘ _Now accept your punishment, you will stay put, even if it means that I’m forcing you.’_ Kyungsoo forces Jongdae into a chair. _‘Sehun, go get some rope. We need to tie Jongdae down until the pack raid is over.’_

The dark grey one happily obliges, instantly trotting off to find the desired item. It wasn’t every day that he got to partake in helping tying up his pack leader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, I'm sorry for the late update. I really thought I would have it done by now. I had planned it all out just how I wanted and where it was going to go. But life things kind of happened. Life things as in I broke my finger, found a tumor in my finger because I broke it, had to wait for the break to heal so that we could go in and have surgery done on my hand. But now it's all better, well.... like 80% better? I'm slowly getting the function back into it. It still hurts it does not like to bend at all.
> 
> But anyways! Hope this was good. Leave comments, I'll answer or just kudos if you'd like. I'm hoping to have the next part posted soon.


End file.
